


Scars { Zuko X Reader }

by Tired_And_Lazy



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Also Zuko being badass for some reason, And some teasing, Awkward Zuko (Avatar), Azula being jealous, Azula being the worst, Blood, Burns, Don't read if fire or violence triggers you, F/M, Flirting, Kidnapping, Mafia AU, Mafia Boss Aang, Mafia Boss Katara, Mafia Boss Toph, Mafia Boss Zuko, Mildly Suggestive Content, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Modern AU, Pain, Probably just dirty thoughts, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates, Soulmates AU, Violence, Zuko - Freeform, minor cussing, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24686227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tired_And_Lazy/pseuds/Tired_And_Lazy
Summary: { mafia au! } { modern au! } { soulmates au! } the sound of two soulmate clocks ringing fell to deaf ears as the leader of the Fire Nation mafia stared down at you.
Relationships: Zuko (Avatar) & Reader, Zuko (Avatar)/Reader
Comments: 33
Kudos: 289





	1. the jasmine dragon

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for checking this out! this is more of a guilty pleasure fic so this is probably going to have a really random/slow update schedule, but don't let that stop you from enjoying :)
> 
> also very sorry if this fic is badly written, this my first time playing around with aus and an original plot so wish me luck!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this fic can also be found on quotev @.tiredlazy

The Jasmine Dragon was a small tea shop near where you lived. It was owned by a nice old man you had come to know as Iroh. Every day at around 4 pm you would visit the Jasmine Dragon, and order a cup of-you guessed it-jasmine tea. You would pull out your laptop, do research on any person the Earth Kingdom assigned you to, and snack on a cookie or two.

Sometimes you found yourself indulging in a small match of Pai Sho with the owner of the tea shop. You were no master, however, and you could never truly get a grasp on how to play the name. It didn’t matter to you though. It was this schedule that made living day by day a little more enjoyable. 

So there you sat, at a small booth in one of the tea shop’s corners. You quietly sipped at your tea, swallowing the warm liquid and sighing in content as you felt the warmth spread through your fingertips. Some may have complained that summer was no time to be drinking hot tea, but as Iroh once said, “There is never a wrong time to be drinking the finest tea in the country.”

The people of this world were divided into five people. The Water Tribe mafia, the Earth Kingdom mafia, the Fire Nation mafia, the Air Temple mafia, and normal civilians. As mentioned above, you were apart of the Earth Kingdom mafia. A data broker, to be specific.

Word was spreading, and apparently there were rumors of a few Fire Nation members rooting themselves nearby an Water Tribe base. Your job: to gather data on all suspected members of any mafia and see if any fit as an enemy or traitor. It was exhausting, and was causing your eyes some serious strain, but you would do anything for both the money and your mafia.

You sighed to yourself, popping your fingers as you took a small break. You found yourself appreciating the Jasmine Dragon more and more as you slaved away on your laptop and computer. You also took this time to glance at the small timer imbedded into your forearm. 

Soulmates were also a very common occurrence in your world. Over 70% of people in this world are assigned a soulmate the day they’re born, and 90% of those soulmates end up staying together and living the happiest life of their lives. Soulmate marks came in different forms and rules, you were glad to have a simple soulmate mark.

A small timer that counted down to when you first lock eyes with your soulmate. Luckily, it also ring loudly when this happens, so there wasn’t any chance of you making eye contact with a stranger and completely forgetting about your soulmate mark. Lately, however, you had found yourself getting anxious.

0 years, 0 months, 3 days, 2 hours, 15 minutes, 23 seconds

Three days. Three days until you got to look into the eyes of the person you were expected to spend the rest of your life with. Three days until you find out if your soulmate is apart of the Water Tribe, a poor normal civilian you’ll have to put in danger, or someone from a rivaling mafia. 

You positioned your fingers back over your laptop keyboard, satisfied with the small break you gave yourself. 

Being paired up with someone also in the Earth Kingdom would be ideal, seeing as you wouldn’t have to keep your occupation under wraps, and there would be no internal conflict with morals. Ending up with a civilian would be difficult. You’re almost sure that the secrets and doubt would break your relationship, and you’d be part of the 10% of soulmates that don’t work out. 

Dating someone from a rivaling mafia. Now, that’s a situation you wouldn’t even like to think about. 

You were so lost in your thoughts, you hadn’t noticed the bell of the tea shop as a new customer walked in. It was only when you heard the raspy voice of the newcomer did your interest get peaked. 

“Uncle, we need to talk later. Over a cup of tea.”

You perked up at the sound of the male’s voice. Uncle? You glanced over, before pausing at the sight of the speaker.

A slim and muscular build. By the sound of his voice, he’s around your age; around 17 years old. His hair is messy and colored a dark black. From this angle you can see pink flesh on one side of his face, a scar, you assumed.

Your glance soon turned into a full stare. Whoever this stranger was, he was a looker. Most people you know would most likely be disgusted at the sight of the scar that decorated his face, but you didn’t really care about that small detail. You thought about how you would describe this stranger.

Mysterious? Handsome? Attractive? Those definitely all applied, but one word stood out to you. 

Gorgeous, you decided. Whoever this boy was, he was definitely gorgeous. 

He must have felt your stare, and soon you found yourself snapping your gaze back onto the screen of your laptop. His stare was definitely intense, but something inside of you twisted in delight at the attention. Ignoring this, you tried to focus, and the stranger soon averted his stare.

Now that you thought about it, why was he a stranger? As a data broker, you knew almost everybody in this area.

The woman near the window was named Atlas, age 26, birthday June 12, often came here on Wednesdays and Thursdays after dropping her kids off at daycare. The young couple in front of you have been dating for 4 years after looking at each other and finally seeing the world in color.

The male that just walked in, however, you knew nothing about him. 

“Of course, Zuko! Why don’t you help me out for a bit before you set off on your other important duties?”

The familiar voice of Iroh reached your ears, and you decided that this was your cue to go back home. 

Taking the final sip of your Jasmine tea, you slipped your laptop back into your bag and left your tip on the table as usual. You let out a small grunt as you slipped your back onto your shoulders, and made your way to the entrance. 

“Oh, (Y/N)! Leaving so soon? Could I interest you in a game of Pai Sho before you go?”

You halted in your tracks at the sound of Iroh’s request, feeling the stares of multiple customers. You decided not to turn around, only bringing up a hand to wave him off.

”No thanks, Old Man. I already know I’m just going to end up making a fool out of myself,” you hummed. 

You smiled at the sound of the rumbling laughter that followed your statement. You’ve been a customer here for so long, you and the tea shop owner have grown close enough to exchange small jokes and interactions.

”Why of course, no one can beat the master after all. But I’m sure you’ll be a great student if you let me teach you properly.”

You laughed lightly at his request. This wasn’t the first time Iroh’s suggested he really teach you the game of Pai Sho, but you always refused. You weren’t one for board games yourself. Civilization was much more advanced than a simple game, and you preferred the calling of technology.

”Maybe next time, Old Man! Have a nice day!”

You kept walking, the small bell attached to the door ringing as you left the tea shop. You could still feel the burning stare of the gorgeous man, and you admit that it unnerved you quite a bit. However, you knew you’d know almost everything about him after a few hours of digging.

The fact comforted you.


	2. red lipped danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> reader checking zuko out, and azula being intimidating

You weren’t comforted at all.

As soon as you walked back into your reasonably sized apartment, you went straight to digging for any info about the gorgeous stranger. Only to find out that any information about him was carefully wrapped up in a crap ton of misleading links and sites needing a password.

To say you were frustrated was an understatement.

Though, your curiosity was certainly peaked. For someone that should be so insignificant, why wasn't there any information on him? Not to mention, you were certain that the information you had actually been able to get was false. 

According to a person you did business with, the boys name was Lee.

You scoffed to yourself as you recalled that detail. Yeah, that was definitely a false name.

The Old Man had called him 'Zuko' if you recalled correctly. And in the time you've spent at the Jasmine Dragon, you know that Iroh doesn't forget a customers name, much less the name of his own nephew.

You looked over to the corner of your laptop, to where the numbers 3:52pm were displayed brightly. You were running a bit behind schedule, it was about to be time to head over to the Jasmine Dragon.

You were looking forward to your usual visit. This could give you an opportunity to keep an eye on Zuko if he was present, see if he was up to any suspicious activity or not. Not to mention you could really use a good warm cup of tea.

With a satisfied groan, you reached your hands above your head in a stretch, waiting for your back to finally pop before standing up from your desk chair. You were already dressed in a deep v-neck shirt tucked into jean shorts, so all you did was style your hair the tiniest bit. You gave yourself a small glance in your mirror before shoving your phone, laptop and charger into your bag and making your way out of your apartment. 

Your checkered vans shoes made minimal noise as you walked through the city, the noise of people crowding around you and participating in idle chit-chat brining you a sense of familiarity and comfort.

The sight of a woman with short pink hair caught your eyes, and you find yourself looking into brown eyes. Cherry Nakamoto, the same woman that gave you the intel on Zuko's fake name. She gave a small head dip in respect and continued on her way.

You smiled to yourself at that small gesture, chin tilting up higher in subtle pride as you continued to walk. Cherry was 21, 4 years older than you. The fact that an older woman bowed her head to you just made you more aware of how valuable you were as an Earth Kingdom data broker. 

You snapped back into focus as the familiar building of the Jasmine Dragon made its way into your view. You were a bit surprised. It normally took you around 9 minutes to get here by foot. Were you day dreaming that much?

Pushing that thought to the back of your mind, you pushed the entrance door open, allowing the smell of freshly brewed tea to invade your senses. 

You allowed your eyes to glide over the shop, looking over the people that were here. Your eyes widened in surprise as you recognized the same person that's been on your mind lately. Only this time, he was dressed in the familiar green apron you saw everyday. 

You tried to act natural, walking in and making your way over to your usual seat and unpacking your laptop. So he was here, how lovely. Looking up while he took the order of a middle aged man (Timothy Green, not much of a regular, came around 5 times a month on average), you let your eyes wander. 

He was dressed in black pants and a white button down shirt. Thankfully, his sleeves were rolled up and you were given the amazing opportunity to admire muscular forearms and biceps. You noted with delight that he most definitely worked out. 

He stood up straight and tucked a small notepad in one of the apron pockets as soon as your gaze travelled farther down his back, forcing you to look away. You pouted to yourself, what a missed opportunity. 

Anyways, you had to remind yourself that you still had an actual job to do, even if you were in fact very interested in the gorgeous stranger.

Typing in your password (teashops420), you mentally prepared yourself for the amounts of typing you would be doing. However, the small clank of a teacup being set in front of you snapped you out of your thoughts. 

You blinked in surprise, looking up to see the familiar face of Iroh. 

"Seems like you've got a lot of work to do, seeing as you didn't even give me a proper greeting when you walked in, so I'll just leave this here and let you be," the man explained with an amused smile.

Your eyes widened in realization and you felt yourself die on the inside. Oh, you felt horrible. You were so busy checking out his nephew you had completely forgotten to give him a proper greeting!

"I am so sorry, it's nice to see you as always Old Man," you greeted, watching as Iroh straightened up his posture with a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, you youngsters always seem to be forgetting about your elders," he hummed good-naturedly before walking off. "I'm sure that my nephew must had been a very interesting sight in order for you to forget to say hello."

You blinked, starting to process his words as you stared after him. Your face burned a light shade of pink as you realized that you must not have hidden your predatory gaze as well as you thought you did. Chuckling to yourself, you shook your head in amusement. Always the perceptive type, the Old Man was. 

Now then, back to business.

You delicately gripped the handle of your steaming teacup, blowing on it for a little before taking a long and refreshing sip. Placing the teacup back onto its respective coaster, you then started to sift through the remaining thousands of people suspected to be foes in this city.

2 hours in and you were already near the end of your second cup of tea, and finished munching on two out of three of the cookies you were brought. You noticed that Zuko remained in the kitchen for almost all of his time, only having come out to serve tea and take orders around 4 times in the two hours you were here.

Your eyes looked over the electronic file of a girl your age. Black hair and bored eyes, she was suspected of being apart of the Fire Nation. Her information was similar to Zuko's, under quite a bit of wraps. According to your file, she was from a powerful family, and had a young little brother as well.

"Good evening, Uncle. Have you seen ZuZu around here?" 

Your eyes snapped up in time to see a girl walk into the tea shop, breath hitching for a split second. Whoever she was, she was definitely related to Zuko. Similar hair, similar aura, calling Iroh 'Uncle', and the shameless use of the nickname ZuZu. If you had taken the time to remember, you would’ve noticed that her face was seen in one of the files you had yet to dig into. 

"Ah! Azula, yes of course, he's in the back making table number 8's tea," Iroh replied. 

With a quick thank you, she walked to the employees only door, but not before her eyes purposefully locked onto yours.

You tried not to flinch at the intensity of her golden gaze as she looked at you, standing your ground against her. You could see the amusement in her eyes; she must see you as inferior to her. With a smirk on her red lips, she flashed you a wink before continuing. 

You finished up your tea and cookie in a rush, packing up your belongings, and heading out. You left, making sure to call out a small 'goodbye' directed at Iroh.

Something deep inside your gut twisted uncomfortably the moment the two of you made eye contact. She felt vulnerable under her stare, weak. The fact that someone could have that much effect on you scared you.

Whoever she was, she was dangerous.

0 years, 0 months, 2 days, 0 hours, 3 minutes, 45 seconds


	3. stained pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> r.i.p. cherry

0 years, 0 months, 1 day, 9 hours, 11 minutes, 0 seconds

It was exactly 2:00pm.

The room was darker than you thought it would be, and you sat in a red velvet chair as you waited for your boss. The boss.

You inhaled deeply, trying to relax your shoulders and calm your nerves as you got yourself settled and organized your files. This was nerve wracking. You’ve never met with the boss before, she’s never asked for your physical presence before.

It’s been 5 days since you’ve been given your assignment, and so far you’ve been able to locate 20 people from rivaling mafias. Most of them were from Fire Nation, but around 3 were from the Water Tribe mafia as well. Your boss had heard this report from one of your higher-ups, and next thing you knew you had gotten a call demanding your presence at 2:00pm sharp.

It was a bit of nuisance considering you were only given about 2 hours to prepare, but you didn’t complain. If there was one thing anyone with common sense knew, is that you should never complain about or irritate your boss. With that in mind, you placed your final folder of information on the table placed in front of you. 

“So you’re the girl I’ve been hearing about.”

Your head snapped up at the sound of a young voice, and to say your eyes widened was an understatement. 

She was young. Younger than you. She looked to be around 13 years old, and you found yourself staring at her eyes. They were misty, and it only took you a few moments to realize that the she was definitely blind. So this was the infamous Toph Beifong.

“Well don’t just stay silent. Isn’t it rude not to show some proper respect to your boss?”

There was a teasing tone in her voice, but it didn’t stop you from getting a mini heart attack. 

“Yes, of course. My apologies, you just surprised me is all,” you admitted.

All she did was sniff in acknowledgment before making her way into the chair across from you, plopping down and looking straight at you.

”No worries. So, whatcha got for me?” She questioned, looking at you expectantly as she rested her cheek in her palm.

You blinked in surprise before opening one of the folders you had layer out, “Right. So, this woman was seen about 25 miles away from our headquarters. After deeper research, I found that she-“

“Yeah yeah, let’s just skip over all of that. I don’t plan on staying here all day.”

Toph had cut you off, and you were very caught off guard. Why- Why would she ask for you if she wasn’t going to be listening to your full report? 

“How many, and how many are from Fire Nation?” She asked, unnerving you once more with her blind gaze.

”I was able to identify 20 individuals from rivaling mafias. 17 were from Fire Nation, and three were from Water Tribe.”

Toph let out a low whistle and she listened to your brief report. Cracking her neck before sitting up straight. You noticed that for a 13 year old, Toph had a huge and intimidating aura surrounding her.

”All that in just 5 days huh,” she scoffed before standing up abruptly, causing you to jump a bit at the sudden noise.

Toph felt the vibrations of your sudden movement, and she couldn't help let out a laugh at your reaction. Man, they all acted like she would kill them if they said something wrong. Which was probably true, but that was besides the point. Looking over to where she assumed you sat, she opened her mouth. 

"There's been reports on increased enemy activity surrounding our manufacturing buildings in Sector B. Figure out who's causing all the trouble."

You watched as the girl left the room, eyes wide as you suddenly felt all the pressure fall off your shoulders once the door closed behind her. Placing a hand over your rapidly beating heart, you thanked whatever God was out there that you didn't lose your job just now.

You stood up, shoving the various files of printed information back into your briefcase before making your way out of headquarters. You nodded to the various guards as you passed by, and you decided to think more on Toph’s orders as you walked further away from the building.

Your heeled flats made minimal noise as you stepped through isolated concrete.

There were four mafias, you already knew that. The leader of each mafia, as well as their close family members (on rare occasions) could control the element their mafia title was based on. Another piece of info on the mafias is that each group focused on one part of illegal manufacturing. 

The Earth Kingdom was known for their hackers and technical skills. Most of the people in your mafia were skilled with computers and equipped with incredibly technical items. For example, if you wanted to have a lipstick with a beautiful wine color but also stay protected, Earth Kingdom could make it a fully functioning taser that still lets you apply the makeup. Collecting and selling information was also a common thing.

The Fire Nation was known for their stolen parts and heavy duty weapons. It was as simple as it sounded. Those in the Fire Nation would take stolen parts from cars, machines, buildings, and sell them to buyers. On top of that, some of the things they steal would also be tweaked and made into dangerous weapons. For example, say someone managed to snag a military gun, all of a sudden it would be able to reach distances 5x farther with 10x more power.

The Water Tribe worked more with drugs and (as harmless as it sounds) clothing. Drugs could be both good and bad, may it be heroine, cocaine, adderall, ondansetron, you name it they have it. If you didn't have the money to pay for a certain drug, the Water Tribe strikes a deal and you do their bidding in exchange for drugs for as long as you want. Failure to do the job well can lead to prison or death, but most don't read the fine print. Some in the mafia are also skilled designers, who sell their ideas to big time designers in exchange for some expensive prices. 

Last, the Air Temple focused on dealing with the purchase and selling of illegal animals, as well as the aid in finding missing persons. Although the Air Temple doesn't sound all that bad, it's a bit ruthless with their prices and conditions. Illegal animals include lions, jaguars, bears, foxes, rare or extinct species, etc. Missing person reports are charged $100,000 USD for every day it takes to look for that person (dead or alive), and sometimes services from other mafias are requested.

In conclusion, every person from every mafia was a crook in some shape or form, no matter how much they believe their ideals to be innocent. You already accepted this. You loved your job and you loved your pay, so you truly had no right to complain. You nodded to yourself before turning a corner to an alleyway, only to pause at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Ty Lee, do me a favor and step back, obviously you don’t know how to deal with these things quickly and silently.”

(mentions of blood up ahead)

Your eyes widened at the sound of a muffled scream, only for it to be suddenly cut of with the loud thunk of metal meeting bone. You shivered, hands gripping onto your briefcase as you hesitated. Should you play hero? Whoever just got hit was obviously in trouble, maybe you could help. But by the sounds of it, there was more than one person, and you weren't exactly the strongest person out there.

With a shaky step, you decided to listen to common sense, turning on your heel only to feel a numb feeling in both your legs.

"Well look at what I found!" 

A feminine voice reached your ears and you felt yourself panic as you were sent tumbling to the ground. Enemies, these people were not from your mafia. Your eyes immediately went to the briefcase still held tightly in your hand. Data on almost everyone in this city was right in the palm of your hands, including some of the data on your fellow Earth Kingdom members. You had to burn everything.

"Hey! It's no fun if you just ignore me! Whatcha got there? Lemme see- Ouch!"

The girl that had immobilized both of your legs reached a hand out towards you, seeking to grab your briefcase, but you had bit her hand before she had the chance. Her gray eyes widened in surprise, and before she knew it, you had reached into your shirt, pulled out a lighter, and set the papers inside of the briefcase on fire. 

Her eyes narrowed at the sight of your triumphant look, and soon you were letting out a yell of shock as both your arms were also immobilized. You now lay flat on the ground, only able to stare up at the stranger with hatred and distain as she cradled her injured hand. 

"See, that wasn't very nice of you, so now I'm just going to let Azula deal with you instead!" The girl pouted, her braided ponytail waving around with her movements. 

"Ty Lee! What are you doing over there, I need help getting rid of this garbage!" The same voice you heard from before reached your ears. You watched with wide eyes as the girl that had walked into the Jasmine Dragon a day ago made her way over. 

She immediately read the situation, eyes flickering from Ty Lee over to your immobilized figure on the ground. She blinked in surprise before an amused smirk crawled onto her features. Walking over, she bent down and grabbed a hold of your chin, forcing you to look at her.

"Well, would you look at that. It's the girl from the tea shop," she hummed, removing her hand as you made an attempt to bite her as well.

"Well that's not very nice," she narrowed her eyes and pushed you away, causing you to flinch in pain as your head met the concrete one more. 

You watched as her gaze travelled from you, over to the burning briefcase that lay just a couple feet away from three of you. Her eyebrow rose in curiosity, and without fear, she reached in and grabbed a file not yet destroyed by flames, causing you to grow anxious. You were screwed if she somehow managed to collect the files that were still partly intact.

She skimmed over it, looking more and more impressed as she read over the file. She gave an appreciative hum before throwing the paper back into the growing file, looking over at the girl she had called Ty Lee. 

"Earth Kingdom, same as the other one. Only this time, she might actually know a few things. She had a file on Mai, so take her with us for questioning," Azula ordered, walking past the brunette.

"Yes ma'am!" Ty Lee responded, looking down at your form.

You weren't paying attention to her, however. You had caught a glimpse of the splatter of blood that stained Azula's clothes, making the connection that she must have bashed someone's skull in with some sort of metal weapon. That didn't faze you. What did faze you was the body that lay hidden in the shadows, the matted and bloody pink hair making the figure recognizable as the one and only Cherry Nakamoto. Your very own comrade. 

Ty Lee had opened her mouth to say something to you, but you couldn't hear anything. All you could feel was the rage and guilt, rage at the fact that these two had killed someone you knew, and guilt that you didn't do anything to save Cherry from her fate. 

Funny how you always prided yourself on being cool, calm, and collected, yet once the first person dies, you freak.

You watched as Ty Lee made her way over to your figure, hand raised and ready to knock you out. You scoffed on the inside. These girls wanted to get information out of you, they’d probably torture answers out of you if they had to. You didn't care, you thought right before your vision turned black.

You weren't going to talk.


	4. fifteen seconds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i can’t believe i forgot to post this chapter-

You woke up silently, your rhythmic breaths halting as you took a moment to ask yourself a few questions. You knew automatically that you weren’t at home.

Where were you? You looked around, but you soon found that you were shrouded in darkness. At first you thought that you were blindfolded, but you didn't feel any cloth around your head. Your eyes narrowed at that, they were cocky enough to not cover you eyes? Fine, it would only serve as an advantage, so you wouldn't complain.

What happened? It only took a few moments before all the past events came fooding back to you, causing a bitter taste (along with morning breath) to settle on your tongue. You were walking back from a meeting, and were caught (thankfully not near) far away from base. You heard voices, were immobilized, identified your attackers as members of the Fire Nation mafia, and had seen the corpse of your former comrade, Cherry Nakamoto. 

You still couldn't help but frown at that memory.

Pull yourself together and focus, (Y/N), any information that you could recall could probably come in useful.

Who kidnapped you? Two girls your age. One named Azula and the other named Ty Lee. Both confirmed members of the Fire Nation, and both had some sort of contact with a girl named Mai. A friend or comrade of some sorts, you assumed. 

Azula had been spotted recently at your favorite tea shop. You had already noticed her dangerous presence, and you were a bit proud to admit that your initial hunch was correct (yet you still ended up in this position). She had come into the teashop asking for Zuk-

Zuko. 

Your eyes widened as the realization hit you like a ton of bricks. Zuko was most definitely related to Azula. They had similar features, and not to mention they both had a noticeable aura. But if Zuko and Azula were related, then that meant that Zuko was also part of the Fire Nation mafia. 

Mafia runs in the family.

Iroh. No doubt that Iroh was also a part of this enemy mafia. The fact that he had kept this right under your own nose hurt, but at the same time, you had also been riding a similar secret from him. Who would have known that such a sweet old man would be associated with such a thing.

You sighed loudly, letting the facts sink in as you felt your wrists steadily get more and more rope burned the more you shifted. How long were they going to hold you in the complete darkness? Not to mention in a room without windows. It was unfortunate really, knowing how long you had been out could prove a bit helpful with gathering your thoughts.

"An Earth Kingdom data broker, huh. Well aren't you special."

You flinched, shutting your eyes closed at the sudden brightness. You blinked, pupils constricting as they grew used to the light before they flickered over to the other person in the room.

Your eyes narrowed at the sight of Azula, red lipstick as bold as ever as she stood in a confident stance. Hand on hip, chin up, eyes looking down at you, and an ever so cocky smirk as she watched you adjust. 

"What's it to you," you scoffed, refusing to let your guard down in front of such a predatory gaze. Were all Fire Nation members this intense, or was it just her?

Azula seemed amused at your answer, eyes brightening up with some sort of sick excitement. For some reason, you already knew that whatever she was thinking would mean nothing good for you or your health. She clasped her hands together, heels clicking as she made her way over to you. You noticed that you were in the middle of a plain room with steel walls, tied to a wooden chair and secured with rope.

"Thing is, little data broker, you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," she hummed.

"I think that's pretty obvious," you rolled your eyes, trying not to pay attention to the quick flash of pink hair that ran through your mind at that moment. You never even talked that much with Cherry, why were you acting like she was your best friend all of a sudden?

Azula narrowed her eyes, obviously displeased with your little show of attitude and sarcasm. She regained her composer, however, that small disruption in her demeanor gave you everything you needed to know. Azula had a short tempter. She didn't like being tested, and she didn't like it when she felt her opponent was gaining higher ground. Noted.

"I think Ty Lee hit you a bit too hard, because obviously you don't understand what kind of situation you're in at the moment," she hissed.

You tried not to seem too delighted as you realized how easily it was for Azula to lose control of her emotions. You glanced back to her, putting on your best face of disinterest. Catch her off guard, make her lose control. Best case scenario, you die with your mafia's secrets hidden and safe.

"Oh, trust me, I understand. I actually think that you're the one who doesn't understand," you huffed.

Azula's eyes widened in surprise for a split second before narrowing in rage. Closing the distance between the two of you, she gripped the collar of your white button up, pulling it towards her as she glared down at you. With how close she was, you could practically smell the faint traces of smoke that lingered on her clothing. Why she smelled like smoke, you didn't know.

"Tell me, little data broker, what don't I understand?" She hissed, some of her spit landing on your face.

You scrunched your nose up in disgust as the drops of liquid landed onto you. How revolting. For someone with such presence and obvious power, she should learn to better compose herself. You furrowed your brows. Maybe it's just a Fire Nation mafia thing. 

"That I'll never talk, that you'll never get anything out of these pretty little lips of mine," you hummed, keeping your expression neutral.

"I'll never betray my own mafia. You might as well give up and forget about me now. It'll save you the shame and embarrassment of having to go to your boss and report how you weren't able to get any information out of me," you whispered, the corners of your mouth slowly curling up as you searched her expression.

Azula's jaw dropped at the sheer audacity, pushing you away as she stood straight, fury etched on her (oddly) attractive features. Her teeth clenched together, and if you looked closer, you could've sworn you saw smoke coming out of her ears. 

You wanted to laugh at the sight of her cracked exterior. You opened your mouth to form another word, but you didn't even get the chance.

You let your breath escape you as you stared at the ground to your right, eyes wide as your brain tried to catch up with what just happened. Your cheek stung, but you forced down any tears that almost spilled over. A beat passed and you tasted the familiar metallic in your mouth, and with all lady-likeness thrown out the window, you spit out a mixture of saliva and blood onto the floor next to you.

You turned your head to look back at Azula, glaring as the smile was successfully wiped off of your face.

Said girl was standing over you, hand still raised as she looked down at you with a satisfied grin. Her eyes swirled with something you could only describe as madness. It disturbed you greatly, how someone could look so deranged and psychotic with just one facial expression.

"I am the boss," she spat.

You watched with wide eyes as she snapped her fingers, a striking blue flame erupting from her fingertips. It was as if the air in your lungs was knocked out of you as realization slowly sunk in. Holy crap, you had trashed talked the boss of the Fire Nation mafia. 

But you quickly gained your composure. You had to keep calm, stay determined, and continue with your attack. Azula was nothing if she didn't have the upper hand. Even as you felt the searing heat from the strong, blue flame, you had to keep your calm.

Blue.

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Wait a minute. This didn't make any sense, why was Azula telling you she was the mafia boss of the Fire Nation if her flames were blue? Everyone knew that the mafia boss of the Fire Nation burnt their enemies with burning red flames. You've never heard of their flames being blue.

Azula must have seen the doubt cross on your features, for soon, her flames grew in intensity. Her red lips were pulled back into a snarl, and her posture seemed defensive. You leaned your head back, feeling a bit of panic rise up in your throat as the safety hazard drew closer.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you doubt that I am the boss? Do you think someone else could possibly be stronger? Do you think someone could possibly be stronger than me?!" She yelled, once again tugging the collar of your button up towards her. 

You stopped breathing for a split second, the fear you so desperately fought to contain rising up as a searing pain blossomed on your cheek. You started to thrash, trying to get away form the blue flame. She was burning you. It hurt. Ithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurt-

"I thought I had ordered you to get information out of her, not to play around."

You watched with dilated pupils as Azula's eyes widened in surprise for a split second before she let go of you. You sighed in relief as she called her flame back, standing up straight and turning to look where the voice came from. You didn't bother to look up, instead letting your head droop back down. 

"Brother-!" Azula exclaimed.

"I've told you to not call me that. I am the mafia boss of the Fire Nation, not your brother," the stranger cut her off, voice a bit nasally but still holding a sharp tone as they held their authority over your attacker.

Azula let out a strangled noise at that. Ah, so she wasn't the boss. Just a sister that desperately wanted the same power and authority. A sister that didn't want to be seen as weaker than her sibling. Pathetic, truly, but what more can you expect from Fire Nation mafia scum.

Your felt your mind go blank as the voices around you turned into white noise. Your gaze travelled down your arm, stopping at your forearm. You stiffened at the numbers. This. This didn't make sense. 

0 years, 0 months, 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, 15 seconds

You felt helpless. 

"No. Nononononono..." you whispered to yourself, desperately wishing that the numbers were wrong.

This wasn't right, this couldn't be right. 15 seconds?! Azula and the other person were the only ones near you. Unless your soulmate would suddenly drop kick the door open and rescue you, but even then, you'd probably die with two fire benders fighting against you.

"Look at me, girl."

You didn't realize that the stranger had walked up to you until you heard his voice right above you. Male, nasally voice, around your age. You shook your head in protest. No, you didn't want to believe it. You didn't want to look at him!

"I said-"

He grabbed your chin in a firm grasp, yet it was gentle, as if he didn't actually want to hurt you.

"Look at me."

You were forced to look up, eyes widening as you recognized the onyx black hair, golden eyes, and pink scar that covered almost half of his face. Zuko. The sound of two soulmate clocks ringing fell to deaf ears as the leader of the Fire Nation mafia stared down at you.

0 years, 0 months, 0 days, 0 minutes, 0 seconds


	5. double edged blade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ouchies

"Well isn't this just amusing," Azula hummed, watching as the two of you blinked back into reality.

Zuko let go of your chin, letting your gaze drop to the floor in devastation. Zuko was your soulmate. Someone from an enemy mafia was your soulmate. The mafia boss of the Fire Nation was your soulmate. Of all people.

"Get out," he ordered, glaring at the other female.

"Why? I thought you wanted me to get some information out of her," Azula pointed out, lips curling up as she took a dainty step forward. You could feel her predatory look.

Zuko was quick to react, stepping in front of you and blocking you from Azula's gaze. You took this time to glance up, cursing yourself silently for feeling protected. Cursing yourself for feeling safe in the same room as such a despicable person. 

"I'm not going to repeat myself, Azula. Get out."

A shiver crawled down your spine as Zuko's voice hardened, holding a tone that allowed zero argument. Azula apparently knew when to back down, for she quickly retraced her step. You glanced around Zuko just in time to see the way her golden eyes burned with such hate and distain. It brought a sick sense of joy to see her so powerless against someone else.

Without another word, Azula left, slamming a steel door behind her as she stormed off. If you listened closely, you could hear the angry clicking of her heels. You looked back up, a bit confused as to why Zuko hadn't moved from his place in front of you.

"Are you okay?"

You jumped, the male's voice suddenly cutting through the silence that had built up. You furrowed your brows at his question. Well, obviously not. It's not like you've been kidnapped, slapped, and burned in the span of a few hours. Speaking of which, your cheek still throbbed in pain from being slapped and mildly burnt.

"I've been better," you huffed.

Zuko decided to take this time to turn back around, facing you. You noted that he seemed uncomfortable with the current events. You also noted that he looked as handsome as ever, as off-topic as it was. Blue jeans, black dress shoes, black t-shirt, and a red jacket (cream colored fur coating the inside). 

"Right. Uh, do you mind if I untie you?" He questioned, not bothering to make eye contact with you as he glanced over to the side.

You couldn't hide the surprise that splattered across your expression. Pardon? 

"Sure, knock yourself out," you hummed, gaze never leaving his form as he walked behind you.

This was perfect. A perfect chance to escape. You quickly looked around the room, locating the door that Azula had walked out of. You didn't question why the Fire Nation mafia boss would be stupid enough to untie you, but you wouldn't question it any more than you needed to.

You brought your arms to your chest once they were untied, caressing and massaging your rope-burned wrists. Zuko walked back into your vision, pausing for a few moments before he kneeled in front of you. 

"Promise me you're not going to run away if I finish untying you," he spoke up, looking up at you.

As if.

"Okay," you nodded.

You sucked a breath in as Zuko's hands slowly made their way to your leg. His touch was delicate, you noted. As if he didn't want to touch you, as if he didn't want to hurt you. How strange.

You forced yourself not to spring up and make a run for it once Zuko untied your left leg. You had to wait, patience was key. You had to wait for his most vulnerable moment, and something told you that it wouldn't be too hard to find it. Your right leg was now untied.

Zuko stood up, pausing in front of you as he watched and waited. 

You felt awkward under his gaze, but you decided to stand up. With slow movements as to not startle him, you stood to your full height. You noted that Zuko wasn't as tall as you made him out to be, probably around 5'7 (yes I know Zuko's like 5'3 but I had to help my boy out). You stood for a few moments, refusing to make eye contact with the boy.

After a few beats passed, you flinched as the boy made his way over to you. You expected to probably do something to intimidate you, maybe threaten you but definitely not this. Your mind went blank as two arms encircled you, tugging you close to a chest. 

"I can't believe I found you," Zuko breathed, disbelief painting his words as he held you.

It was true. Once his father had disappeared due to unknown circumstances, he had taken over the Fire Nation mafia (much to the horror of his younger sister). He had been busy, may it be with dealing with reports, dealing with shipments and orders from customers, or just dealing with his Uncle. He didn't think he'd meet his soulmate, much less a soulmate that would be happy with him and his status.

But as Zuko held you, he couldn't but feel a small spark of hope bloom in his chest. Sure, it's not like you were hugging him back, but you weren't rejecting the show of affection either. The awkward boy took this as process, proof that he had a chance to win you over as his soulmate.

You however, were having very different thoughts.

This was horrible, you thought. The boss of one of your enemy mafias was your soulmate. What made it even worse was that he was hugging you so tenderly, as if he was actually happy to have met his soulmate. He was hugging you so sweetly as if he didn't lead a mafia, as if his underlings hadn't been attacking you and many others, as if he hadn't walked into this room with the intention to torture and gain information out of you before your soulmate clocks rang. As if he had done nothing wrong.

The facts made your gut twist and churn in discomfort and disgust. Don't focus on that, focus on your escape. Zuko was vulnerable, he didn't think you were going to run at the moment. You had to use that to your advantage. You had to run, or else all of your waiting would mean absolutely nothing.

Zuko finally pulled away, giving you the distance you had been silently begging for. With an awkward clearing of the throat, he looked at you for a few moments before his eyes widened in realization. You were ready for him to finally address the fact that were apart of the Earth Kingdom mafia, but he continued to surprise you.

"You've been to the Jasmine Dragon before. No wonder you look familiar," he said absentmindedly. 

He had started to bring a hand up to push back a strand of hair that had fallen over you eyes, but you had quickly leaned back and away from his hand. The male quickly took the hint, bringing his hand to rub the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner. The fact that he was still an awkward teenager with little social experience shone brightly in these moments. 

"Uh, I'm Zuko, but I think you know that by now," he chuckled. "Would you mind telling me your name?"

You had barely managed to process his words, too focused on the door that was beyond the male. Your escape would prove to be a bit tricky, considering you would have to run past Zuko in order to make it to the door. But if anything, the fact only made you more restless.

Your gaze flickered back to meet Zuko's gaze, the boy looking a bit embarrassed to be making eye contact with you. Right now. Right before you'd tell him your name was your chance.

He's let his guard down just enough, just enough to give you that small opportunity. The small opportunity you had so desperately been waiting for. You’d have to take the chance now before you never had it again. You steeled your nerves before opening up your mouth, Zuko perking up as he waited for your response. You let a bit of your name leave past your lips, noticing the way the male had even leaned in a bit to better hear. And then, you ran.

You felt the adrenaline push your first step towards the door, and soon many other steps followed. A noise of surprise had escaped the male behind you, but you couldn't care less. You needed to get out! You were so close! So so so close! You were sure that you have looked a bit crazy, but that was the least of your concerns at the moment.

Your eyes glistened with hope as you got an arms length away from the door, shooting your arm up in a desperate attempt to grasp the handle that lay so achingly near. Then you screamed in pure agony.

Nerves of pain shook your being as you found yourself falling forward. Your hope shattered and all you were able to do was wail in despair as you crumpled to the ground. Your eyes had watered and you looked behind you to examine the cause of your pain.

Your throat closed up at the sight of your leg. 

You panicked at the sight of the angry red that stained your skin. You identified it as a second degree burn, already starting to see and feel the blisters forming. Your pupils dilated and you snapped your head up to stare at your attacker. 

Zuko still had his palm outstretched, eyes wide as he didn't seem to process the fact that you had crumpled to the ground. No, the only thing that ran through his head at the moment was the fact that he had hurt his soulmate. On purpose. 

He shook his head, suddenly retracting his hand. No! He didn't mean to hurt you on purpose! You startled him, you tried to run away! He had no choice, this was all just a huge misunderstanding-!

"You hurt me."

Zuko paused, wide eyes looking into yours. You had recovered from the initial shock, the adrenaline starting to wear off. Soon, silent tears streaked down your face as the pain really started to settle in.

Now, you glared at Zuko with hostility.

Zuko was used to the look of hostility, he had grown up with it, but it hurt ten times more coming from the girl that was supposed to be his soulmate. The one person destined to love him no matter what and stay by his side.

"This is your fault," you hissed, watching the hurt and conflict swirl in those golden eyes of his.

It was then that you realized you weren't dead yet. Zuko, as powerful as he was, was just as vulnerable. Obviously, the boy had suffered from some kind of trauma that messed him up quite a bit. You didn't care about that, what you did care about was the way he broke when he realized he hurt you. He must care about you because of your soulmate status.

You had to stop yourself from laughing at the irony.

How ironic was it that you had become a double edged blade for the mafia boss.


	6. the lioness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating this story! i don’t really come on here all that much so sometimes i forget to upload new chapters, i’ll try not to make that sort of mistake again! if you want to be more kept up with the series, i originally posted this story on Quotev under @tiredlazy. thank you for reading!

"Please stay still."

You rolled your eyes, clenching your fists to the point where you felt the sting of your fingernails digging into your palm. You sat down on red satin sheets, a young lady looking around 19 years old kneeling down in front of you and dressing your wound. You knew that she was trying her best to treat you as delicately as possible, but your blisters burned and throbbed painfully at the feel of the burn cream.

It had been one day since you were kidnapped. Someone you knew died, you found out your soulmate was the boss of the Fire Nation mafia, and your leg was burnt by said soulmate in an attempt to escape. It was quite a shit show if you said so yourself. 

That day, after you had figured out that you were one of the boy's newfound weaknesses, Zuko quickly rushed out of the room. You had let him go, not bothering to move as you tried to focus on your breathing. Getting burned was painful, getting a second degree burn was hell, and you definitely didn't want to try for a third degree burn.

After what felt like hours, a woman had rushed in, the same woman who was treating you now. She had brown hair and brown eyes, nothing special. Her skin was dark, and her hair was done in tight braids. When she rushed over to you, you were able to catch the beauty mark on the right side of her nose. 

Doing her job, most likely, she quickly pulled out a jar of what looked like ointment and tried to apply it to the burn. You had panicked at the sudden pain that shot down your spine. You ended up pushing her off of you in your panic, and soon you found yourself being pinned down by two guards as the girl ending up treating your leg.

Looking back, you were embarrassed for losing your composer like that, but you didn't really blame your survival instincts for kicking in. 

After your leg had been wrapped, you allowed yourself to be carried into the room you currently occupied. In the day you were here, all you've done was rest and eat breakfast. You frowned to yourself, looking over at the clock on the wall. It was half past three, and you found yourself craving a bit of tea.

"All done."

You blinked in surprise, looking back at the woman who started to stand back up. In the midst of all of your thoughts, you didn't even notice that she had finished dressing your wound. She soon began to turn away from you and walk towards the door, braids swishing over her shoulder with her movement.

"Excuse me."

You thanked whatever Gods were out there as you spoke up, finally able to find your voice. The girl turned around to face you, placing a hand on her hip as she looked at you expectantly. After a few beats of silence, you realized that she was waiting for you to speak up. Your face flushed a bit before you hardened your resolve and sat a bit straighter.

"I would like a cup of hot Jasmine Tea, thank you."

She stared at you for a good few moments, eyes narrowed at you as she waited. It was almost as if she was waiting for you to turn red and sputter various apologies. You stood your ground though. If there was anything you were serious about, it was your schedule. You were to have a cup of tea everyday at around 4pm. If there was anything you felt you should have control over, it would be your tea time.

This was also an experiment in some sense. You had to test your authority over these people, see how far you were allowed to go. You assumed that the thought of having a soulmate meant a lot to Zuko. If you were such a treasure to the boss, who says that you couldn't have a few luxuries in this position? Normally it'd be stupid to think that you, a prisoner, could have luxuries or authority, soulmate or not.

However, Zuko had made it clear in his gestures that he really did adore the thought of having a soulmate to adore, and to have someone who would adore him in return.

The gestures and thoughts were sweet, but this was life or death. You weren’t going to spend your time playing happy couple while your mafia could be worrying about where you were. The Earth Kingdom mafia was your home, and you had to find away to go back. 

"You've got to be kidding."

The girl finally spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest as her hip popped out in a sassy manner. She had some attitude on her. You could respect that. Obviously for someone that was working to heal you, she didn't really liked to be bossed around by others.

"It's almost tea time. I want a cup of tea."

You stood your ground, eyes narrowing back at her as you tilted your chin up. It was very small gesture, but if this girl was as prideful as you thought she was, she would easily pick up on what your body language suggested. You were telling her that she had to listen to you, because somehow, you had decide that you were above her.

"I don't know who you think you are, demanding things as if you run this ship, but you don't boss me around, girlie,” she started 

“I only take orders from the big man, and if I really wanted to, I could've messed with your leg instead of using the right ointment. I could make you disabled. That pretty little leg of yours could get cut off if I don't report your infected leg in time," she hissed, quickly covering ground and grabbing the collar of your red t-shirt.

Oh small detail you forgot to mention, but after everything, you were allowed to bathe in a windowless bathroom, accompanied by a guard outside of your door. They had also taken the liberty to hand you a red shirt and black shorts that reached to mid-thigh. It was a reasonable length, so you weren't complaining. Only creepy thing is, somehow, you were also given a fresh pair of underwear and a sports bra that matched your measurements. 

You were too disturbed to think about the details, and slipped into the clothing without complain. Anyways, you were getting side-tracked, back to the current issue on hand!

Your eyes widened at the sudden close proximity, subconsciously leaning back as she leaned in. Her breath smelled spicy, as if she had roasted a whole jalapeño and ate it as a midday snack. You had to fight back tears as your eyes slowly got more and more irritated. 

"I'm his soulmate. I think your boss could do a lot of things to punish you that are worse than cutting a leg off," you managed to force out a decent reply. 

And the heavens decided to bless you with another day on this earth, for the girl paused before releasing your collar and giving you your personal space. You blinked in surprise before looking up at her, eyebrows arched up as you observed the amused smile that decorated her lips. You took this time to notice that her lipstick was a dark red. 

"Well you've got me there, didn't think you'd have the balls to talk back, but I guess being the big man's soulmate means you're just full of surprises," she hummed, absentmindedly twirling one of her braids as her posture relaxed.

You let out a silent sigh of relief, allowing your stiff shoulders to sag as you read the room. The young lady in front of you didn't really want to cause much trouble. Your best guess was that she was a tough girl with an honest heart. If she saw you as weaker than her, she'd treat you like trash. She saw you as above her, she'd follow your lead. She saw you as an equal, she'd respect you.

Luckily, you had managed to find equal ground.

"I'll get that tea for you then, isn't like I have anything better to do than come up here and treat your burn. Don't cause any trouble or the guards outside won't hesitate to rough you up. They're not as generous as I am."

You watched in wonder as the girl brushed off imaginary dust from her outfit: a white short sleeve with the words "yikes" printed in red. She wore dark blue jeans and low black sneakers with just a little bit of platform to them. 

You continued to look after her figure as she walked off, grabbing her red cardigan off a chair in the room before making her way to the wooden double doors near the front of your current estate. It was only then that you realized you should probably keep her around. She didn't seem the type to get violent unless provoked, and you didn't doubt her when she had told you that the people outside weren't as reasonable as her.

"What's your name?"

You had managed to speak up just as her hand rested on one of the door handles, watching as her figure paused before she looked over her shoulder and back at you. Her eyebrow raised in curiosity, forming an elegant yet sharp arch as she stared at you for another moment. As if coming to a conclusion in a debate, she sighed, facing forward once more before she answered your question.

"Leona. Don't wear it out too much."

And with that, you were left alone in the unnecessarily large room as the doors closed behind her. You sighed, falling back onto the comfy mattress. It's not like you could really do anything while your leg was healing.

You looked over to the clock on the wall once more, narrowing your eyes as the time got closer to four. She better bring your tea on time.


	7. king sized bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> loyalty is always put to test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ack, I’ve had this chapter written for a few days but I kept forgetting to edit it 😭 that being said, please tell me in the comments if you spot any errors and proceed to enjoy!

You wrung your hands in your lap as you stared anxiously at the wall on the clock. It was one minute til’ 4 and Leona had still not come back since she had left.

You sighed in anxiousness as you waited, lightly tapping your foot on the floor as you sat on the edge of your bed. You could feel yourself steadily losing your patience.

You sighed once more before glancing at your bandaged leg. 

Leona was obviously good at what she did, as the gauze was neatly and evenly tied. She'd told you earlier that the gauze wouldn't have to be changed often, but since the burn was still new she'd come in to change it once a day. If you really looked close you could see some dark spots. Perhaps they were from the ointment or maybe they were from puss, you didn't really want to think about it.

You paused. Your burn didn't really hurt all that much, so maybe it would be okay to try putting some weight on it? Obviously you weren't thinking of running a marathon or anything like that, but you should see how far along you were in your recovery.

With a small nod of reassurance, you steeled you’re nerves.

You slowly slid off the side of the bed, gaining some balance with your uninjured leg first. You still held onto the bed sheets just incase, and proceeded to hesitantly place your other foot on the ground.

Automatically you felt some sort of discomfort, but you were pleased to note that the pain wasn't unbearable like the first day. Encouraged by the progress, you decided to let go of the bed sheets and shift a bit of your weight onto your burned leg. Obviously you didn't think your decision through quite enough.

As soon as your weight shifted you gasped at the pain that shot up your spine. You quickly hopped onto your uninjured foot, hands grappling back onto the bed sheets. Your pulse escalated at the sudden shock, and you found yourself having to steady your breath as you waited for the pain to disperse. 

"That certainly wasn't the brightest idea you've ever had."

Your head snapped up at the familiar voice, and you gaped at the man standing by the double doors, a tray in hand. You smiled, tilting your head to the side in a laid back manner.

"Feels like it's been a while since I've seen you, Old Man."

You knew that there were many things to be addressed at the moment, but for now you decided to wait till you've had your tea and cookies to speak up. 

Iroh let out a chuckle before making his way over to you, handling and balancing the tray with ease as he made his way over.

You watched his movements as you hoisted yourself back onto the red satin sheets (with a tiny bit of difficulty). Near your king-sized bed was a night-stand. You hadn't really brought yourself to check its contents, but from where you sat you could see the spines of books. Some looked new while others had noticeably broken spines. In one of the compartments you could actually see a set of Pai Sho. 

Iroh set the tray on top of the nightstand, and you visibly perked up at the sight of your usual order. Without asking for permission you quickly snatched up your tea, mumbling a tiny thank you from behind your cup before sipping on its hot contents. 

"I would offer to talk at the table you have near the door, but I assume you can't move much because of your injury. Would it be alright for me to sit down on the bed with you?"

You raised a brow at the polite request before shrugging. It looked like the old man could read a room. It was a bit relieving to know that you weren't the only one who wanted to take this situation a bit seriously, no matter how nice your joking talks with Iroh usually were. Still, who said you couldn't throw just a tiny bit of shade?

"Knock yourself out, Old Man. Though I'm sure you're more entitled to this place than I am, you know, being Fire Nation and all."

You caught the small frown that graced Iroh's face at your words. You didn't care much for it however, merely sipping your tea and watching as he proceeded to sit down on the edge of your bed with his own cup. Neither of you said another word for a few moments, merely sipping and waiting for the other person to speak.

You however, stayed stubborn. 

You had no intention of speaking first. Sure you may be acting just a bit petty, but after all, which one of you two had to keep off of their burnt leg. It was quite a hinderance, you know, having a second degree burn on your leg. Oh! Did you mention that you had a burnt leg because of all this?

Uncle Iroh, having known you for quite a while, picked up on your thought process. With a sigh, he slowly lowered his cup. 

You noticed that despite all the updates within the fashion industry, Iroh still wore an old green kimono, the sleeves dipping down with the force of gravity. 

"I'm sure you'd like to talk more about the details concerning our ties, so with an addition to tea, I've come to talk about everything. I’m also offering to answer any questions you may have had."

"Why?"

Iroh blinked at the question, not really understanding the context.

"Why?" 

You huffed in annoyance as he repeated your question with confusion.

"Why didn't you tell me you were apart of the Fire Nation mafia?"

"For the same reason you never spoke about being apart of the Earth Kingdom."

You set your cup of tea down gently in your lap, still holding onto the cup handle but making sure that Iroh saw the unhappiness and irritation that graced your features. You weren't usually this willing to express everything you felt, but Iroh was still Iroh. Even though you still felt betrayed, part of you still felt safe with the man. (lessons by tired: never trust a man lmao)

“Well obviously your silence led to a much more horrible series of events.”

Uncle Iroh grimaced at that, taking one more sip of the tea in his hands before clearing his throat.

You were angry, that was understandable. You were kidnapped, almost tortured, and were currently residing in a property owned by a mafia you knew as your enemy. Not to mention you were soulmates with the boss of said mafia, which made everything much more complicated. 

But at the same time, that was the thing. You were Zuko's soulmate.

The boy would never admit it, but Zuko greatly enjoyed his Uncle's company. He found himself having his most meaningful talks with the man, taking tea breaks in order to distress with Iroh. In those times where Zuko felt most comfortable, sometimes he would ramble about certain topics.

Iroh felt even more guilt pile up in his stomach as he thought back to one of their previous conversations. What made it worse was that this conversation happened no more than two weeks ago, where Zuko was struggling to organize a few shipments of illegal parts.

The boy was stressed, rightfully so. 

A few shipments were getting tracked because of careless moves made by some of those involved in the collected of parts. The police were almost involved, and Zuko was fuming as he waited for the next report and update on what was currently happening. Uncle Iroh offered that the boy take a nap or meditate, the boy declining the offer and huffing as a thought slipped past his lips.

"It would be no well for me to just be left alone in my thoughts, Uncle. In times like these I wish I could just look into the eyes of every person on this planet in order to find my soulmate, and finally think of something other than the stress I have to deal with nowadays."

Something in those words struck a cord inside of the old man's heart. Maybe it was the poetry hidden in those words, or maybe it was the ever so rare soft look in his nephew's eyes, but it made Iroh truly wish for Zuko to find his soulmate. 

However, Zuko's soulmate being an Earth Kingdom data broker- and a loyal one at that- was not on the agenda.

Another beat of silence passed as Iroh stared at his cup, opening his mouth as he prepared to say something. He had to choose. Would he comfort the young girl he had started to think of as family? Or would he try to support his very own nephew? This was tough, for Iroh was a caring man. He was a caring man, and a loyal one as well.

"...Perhaps...being Zuko's soulmate might not be as bad as you think it may be. If you think it over and truly take the time to understand my nephew, then perhaps-"

"I've heard enough."

As much as you hated cutting people off, having been raised with proper manners, you couldn't stop yourself. Your grip on your teacup had turned harsh, and you swore your knuckles were turning white from the sheer force you were using. It seems that in this time, Uncle Iroh has decided to take the side of his nephew. 

While you respected his decision, it just would not sit well with you at the moment.

"I understand why you would say that, however, I think you and me have very different opinions and biases on this matter. I am loyal to the Earth Kingdom and the Earth Kingdom only. I will not hand over my heart and freedom to the boss of the Fire Nation simply because our gazes have been tied together by something as cliche and useless as soulmates."

And there it was, you said it. You stated your thoughts on the matter and you stated it bluntly. You didn't care for your soulmate if it got in the way of your family. Nothing, not even death itself, would ever cut through the solid loyalty you built and prided yourself on. 

Iroh winced at your blunt words and harsh tone but merely sighed as a frown graced his lips. You brought your teacup back to your lips, finishing the lukewarm liquid with one final sip as you waited for the man's response.

"For your own safety, I feel as though you should reconsider your thoughts."

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise at Iroh's next words. You were actually expecting an apology, but this was definitely unexpected. 

You quickly took offense, straightening your posture as your narrowed your eyes at the man you had grown ever so close to. 

"Is that a threat, Old Man?"

"It is simply a warning, for I care for you as if you were apart of my own family."

Your heart squeezed at his words and you looked away. You still felt bitter. This could've been avoided if you had known who you were getting close with. This could've been avoided if Iroh had just told you who he was. Then again you would've immediately reported your findings to Toph afterwards, but that was besides the point. 

Iroh’s words touched you, as much as you hated to admit it. Yet as your heart battled between loyalty and fondness, you remembered something.

Over the past hours, there had been something diligently nagging you at the back of your head.

You did not try to hide your surprise and bitter feeling at the sudden announcement of the fact that Iroh and Zuko were high ranking Fire Nation mafia members. However, from what you were able to receive and observe about Iroh, he didn't seem much to surprised at all. While Zuko, on the other hand, seemed to cope with his shock with the information on you being his soulmate.

You didn't want to think of the possibility, not at all, but the possibility was still there. 

"Old Man. Did you- Did you know I was Earth Kingdom?"

There were a few moments of silence. You didn’t like this silence, it was too suffocating. Even more suffocating than any silence you may have endured with Toph of people of the likes. This was the Old Man, someone dear to you. That information alone had the potential to break your heart in two.

"...Yes."

You froze at the dreaded word. Feeling your eyesight grow misty as you stared down at your empty cup, tight grip never faltering. You cleared your throat of any cracks before continuing.

"For how long."

"2 months."

You sucked in a sharp intake of breath. 

2 months? 8 weeks? 56 days? 

You couldn't help but feel as if you were sucker punched right in the gut. This all could've been avoided if Iroh had just called you out on who you were. You would've evacuated the area immediately. You would've never seen Zuko. You would've never looked at Zuko. You would've never found out that Zuko was your soulmate, and in this case, ignorance was bliss.

"Please leave."

Iroh hesitated at the sound of your cold tone, brows furrowing as he reached out to you for a split second. You flinched at the sight, leaning away.

”I won’t repeat myself. Leave.”

You weren’t able to see the man’s face as you looked down at your lap. You refused to look back up. You refused to let him see the mist that threatened to spill from your eyes.

Your tea cup was delicately plucked from your grip. The clattering of tea cups and trays made its way to your ears, as well as the heavy footsteps to the double doors, the last hesitant step, and the closing of two wooden doors.

You didn’t cry. You refused to cry.

You wiped away your tears with the back of your palm, glaring down at the wetness left on your skin. You huffed and wiped at your face a few more times before sniffling and clearing your throat. With one final groan and a frustrated hand through your hair, you fell back against the covers.

You stared up at the ceiling once more as you laid down. Soon, a throbbing sensation appeared in your leg and you had to fight the urge to punch your leg in an attempt to cancel out the pain (am I the only one who does this???).

This was too much for just two days.

You tried not to think to much about everything, knowing that this would be a good time to rest and collect your thoughts.

You frowned. 

Suddenly the bed felt too big as you felt yourself feeling smaller than you’d like to admit.


	8. late night terror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mc loses her cool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaannnnndddd we’re back with a sudden update! i got struck with sudden creativity so take this as a small apology for my mini hiatus ^^’

Leona didn't say anything to you that day, only coming in to redress your healing wound and leaving. You appreciated the fact, because losing your composure in front of someone that would surely see you the next day wasn't someone you'd like to do. 

Dinner came fleetingly, and you didn't really pay attention when some nameless woman came in and set down a tray of food only to leave as quickly as she came.

It was a simple burger and fries with a glass of water, but you had to raise a brow at the meal choice. The burger was a relatively safe choice, but for dinner? Seems like someone wasn't really raised with parents who'd cook proper meals for him. 

You paused. Now that you thought about it, you didn’t really know much about Zuko's family.

Perhaps he was a child from a not-so-put-together-home. It would explain his sudden lashing out at you when you tried to run away, could explain the terrified look in his eyes as he realized he had hurt someone important to him. 

The look in his eyes was a very vivid memory. Even in your slightly maddened state that day, you were able to recognize the emotions running through his mind.

Zuko seemed like an easy person to read.

Zuko seemed like an easy person to read. He didn’t like hurting those around him, he was awkward, a romantic, and obviously didn’t know a single thing on how to properly court a lady.

It was completely different to what you had heard in rumors.

The rumors about him weren’t very positive to say the least.

There had been a previous scuffle with the Fire Nation 2 years ago, when Ozai still ruled over the mafia, and 1 year before Zuko's new reign. No one really cared much about Ozai’s son until that day.

Toph had just started ruling over the Earth Kingdom mafia that year.

She stood close behind her parents beforehand. Toph observed a lot, and even involved herself in many of the mafia’s branches, so taking charge went smoothly. This however, was one of the things that experience would better take care of.

A few members decided to take things into personal matters during a stolen parts trade. A fit broke out, and soon guns were getting involved. 

Fire Nation members were on Earth Kingdom turf, and both sides weren’t hesitant in trying to shoot the other down. What the fight was about didn’t matter what mattered most was not dying.

That was until Ozai got wind of the situation and decided to throw in his son to take care of this situation. He wanted to see how the boy would deal with situations like this. A test, so to say. 

Long story short, it was soon proven that the boy was not someone anyone wanted to mess with.

Ozai was father to a rare case of siblings, where both were able to posses the rare fire bending that seemed to run through boss veins, even though they were born on different years. 

People had gotten so used to fighting each other with only fists and weapons, that they had forgotten that a few people on this planet were favored by the gods.

Your mafia named the Fire Nation heirs The Blue and Red Flames of Rage. 

Azula had striken terror into many opponents with her bloodthirsty attitude and striking determination to destroy all those in her way. On the other hand, Zuko left a lasting impression with how freely the talent leap from his hands and scorched his enemies. Azula was rabid and didn't care who she hurt, but Zuko knew how to control his flames and deal devastating pain onto those who were sad enough to face his flames. 

You weren't told very much, but from what you could piece together, Ozai loved what he could control. May it be the trading of parts between his mafia and others, or the same children he was supposed to shower with loving care, he loved to control. And despite everything, his children lived to please, but only one really lived up to the man’s expectations.

It was after Ozai's sudden disappearance did people notice Zuko's scar.

Rumors spread like wildfire, and everyone collectively decided on only one possible outcome: Zuko had murdered his father for the seat as mafia boss, and had earned the burn in the scuffle.

Honestly, you didn't know enough about the boy to decide if you believed the rumors or not, nor did you care.

You popped a perfectly salted french fry into your mouth, burger gone and on its way into your digestive track. Sure you felt a bit guilty for wolfing down all of those calories, but with the way things were going, you decided that this meal was a very much needed stress reliever.

After a few moments, there was no more food, and you decided to finish your meal off by downing the tall glass of water that remained. 

You took a moment to admire the gorgeous design that decorated the clear glass. Green stained glass curled around the clear, only to stop and turn into vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows, where it bloomed into a flower. A marigold.

You delicately traced where the glass flower bloomed, feeling the soft edges where whoever created the glass took time and skill into making sure it looked as realistic as possible. You hummed with appreciation before downing the cool beverage, your throat not entirely dry, but still welcoming the moisture. 

You wiped your mouth with the back of your hand before setting down the now empty glass. An hour had passed since you’d first gotten your meal, and you noticed that the clock's short hand settled on the number 9, the long hand settling a few ticks past the number 2. It seems that you took your time eating. 

With a huff you realized that you would have to find a way to pass the time before you grew tired. You trailed your gaze down, where the books you had noticed earlier were. You guessed that you'd have no choice but to read, considering you had been frisked of any weapons and electronics, and there was no television in the room. Sure there was Pai-Sho, but you had no clue as to how you were going to play the board game alone.

Your eyes skimmed over the varying books, stopping suddenly on a very grey title in surprise before hurriedly looking and scanning the rest of the spines.

You stopped on a familiar title, recalling it as a book you had read way back when: Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise as you identified it, and you reached for it. This was one of the books that looked worn from use, and although it wasn't falling apart, you could see the yellowing pages and some stains on the pages as you flipped through the picture book.

Truthfully, you didn't remember much about the plot, having read it when you were younger and too youthful to really process the words and life lessons it offered.

Really, the only thing you could remember was the drawing of (spoiler) one of the horses being dragged away on a carriage, dead, beaten by its master, and tongue lolling out of its mouth in a way that certainly stuck with you through some years. You frowned. It was sad, how the book described the abuse the poor horse went through. Beaten and berated when it grew too tired to continue treading, and soon enough being disposed of when it no longer served any purpose. 

Gruesome, for a picture book. 

Yet the more you tried to recall, the more it seemed that you could only remember the horrible parts of the book. You weren’t able to remember in much detail the domesticated life of Black Beauty as he lived to grow to be the horse of a kind man and woman. You didn't really care for those parts, but you vividly remember the abuse some of the side characters were forced through.

You remember another moment where the book had described a horse subjected to beauty standards during those times. It's beautiful tail cut short where its owner took no hesitation to cut through bone and hair just for beauty. The horse suffered the struggle of not being to swat away flies, and you winced at the thought of having to deal with the unbearable buzzing and discomfort.

You pursed your lips and closed the book.

That was enough, all this book was doing was bringing back disturbing thoughts. With the way your train of thought was going, you were probably going to end up getting a nightmare.

"Zero stars, my stay has been rather unpleasant, wouldn’t recommend staying at the Fire Nation mafia hotel..."

You muttered into the silence, deciding that there was really nothing to doubt complain about the situation and circumstances you were now forced to deal with. You took a place at your forearm, glaring at the letters and numbers marked permanently into your skin.

0 years, 0 months, 0 days, 0 minutes, 0 seconds

Screw the numbers, you thought bitterly. Screw soulmates! You were living happily in the danger of your mafia, and then suddenly you were dragged into this whole mess of unnecessary feelings and romance! If anything this mark of yours ruined your entire life when it was supposed to bring you joy!

( minor self harm warning )

A sobbed was ribbed from your throat as you clawed at the tattoo, hoping that maybe if you just dug your nails deep enough you'd be able to get rid of your mark. 

You scratched and clawed, the skin on your forearm turning an angry red as you ignored the throbbing in the area. Tears dripped from your eyes with your frustration, and your breathing grew labored and uneven. You thrashed in your rage, and ended up hitting your leg a little too harshly against the mattress. 

A yell escaped you and you stayed still, gritting your teeth and breathing heavily as the pain momentarily paralyzed you, giving you a moment to realize what you had just been doing.

You sniffled, cradling your arm to your chest as you stared at the ceiling, laying in a black pajama dress as the sheets rubbed soothingly against your skin.

You sighed, not bothering to wipe away your tears as your eyes suddenly grew heavy. Maybe this was what you needed. A nice mental breakdown to act on your compressed feelings, the feelings you ended up hiding behind your back in the scary environment you were in. After all, you were only human.

You sniffled once more before you drifted into a dreamless sleep.

.

.

.

.

A dreamless sleep.

Until suddenly you felt something.

It was soft, and it was warm, and it trailed up to your eyes and down to your cheeks, stopping only at your jawline. You heard someone exhale heavily, most likely sighing. 

It was then did you suddenly gain some thought. You were not alone, and the warmth you felt trailing all over you was the foreign touch of someone you definitely did not recognize, much less someone who you would ever allow to touch you.

Your eyes snapped open, and in the darkness, all you could see was golden eyes staring back at you in shock. You responded to your natural reflexes and immediately swung a fist, opening your mouth to scream and alert those residing in this what-you-assumed-to-be-mansion.

However, you weren't prepared for your fist to be blocked and stuck in the tight grip of your attacker, as well as the warm hand that quickly landed over you mouth. With you scream muffled, and your fist grabbed, all you could do was try your best to use your non-dominant arm to attack. To no use, and soon you found with terror that your arms were now pinned over your head. 

Your breathing sped up with fear, and you could only start assuming the worst as a young lady in a new and dangerous environment.

You struggled, and you could hear your attacker grunt as he struggled to keep you pinned down. You were being straddled, you were being pinned, and you were being silenced, think (Y/N) think-! You didn't get far into your thoughts before pain shot from your leg and up your spine, the sudden stimulation causing a scream of pain to escape you.

Your attacker suddenly backed off for a split second at you sudden scream, and you used this moment to push him off you. 

With your vision clouded in tears, you used as much of your body weight as you could to throw whoever this was off the bed. You almost cried with relief as you felt them fall off of you and heard a small grunt come from whoever attacked you.

"Who are you?! What do you want?!"

You screamed into the dark, not daring to look over the edge. 

You shuffled back to the other side of the bed, and watched in mild terror as the person stood. But it wasn't until the attacker spoke did you finally realize who had pinned you to the bed this late at night.

"There's no need for you to panic so much!"

The nasally voice easily reached your ears and you almost laughed in pure disbelief, throwing your head back as you stared up at the ceiling. You have GOT to be kidding me, you thought, pupils dilated with how much fear and adrenaline had just pulsed through your veins.


	9. devotion to one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's hard being mad at someone who's attractive

"You're a mad man," you hissed. 

Zuko rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he sat on the bed you had been sleeping in for the past days. After what could be considered the most frightening experience of your life, you forced the mafia boss to sit down and talk to you. More like, you were going to scold the absolute crap out of this boy.

"Why are you in my bedroom so late at night?"

You squinted at the male in suspicion, gently rubbing at your wrists. Zuko had a strong grip, and if it weren't for the fact that you two were soulmates, you would have definitely lost that battle. You grimaced. That wasn't a pleasant thought. However, now that you thought back to the whole position you two were in, it was sort of...suggestive.

You blinked back into reality. Bad thoughts. 

The golden eyed male was obviously a bit uncomfortable with the question. Instead of answering, he merely leaned a little bit away and glanced off to the side. You wanted to scoff. What a big bad mafia boss, avoiding your gaze as if you were going to put him in time out. He glanced back at you and winced a little at the intense eye contact. 

"You looked...pretty," he mumbled. 

You blinked, not expecting that answer. You looked pretty in your sleep? You stared at the boy in silence, looking over his face to see if he was lying. Once more, however, you were not able to get any eye contact. He seemed to panic in the silence, quickly covering up his words.

"Peaceful! Pretty peaceful! You looked peaceful in your sleep!"

Was Zuko supposed to be this...dorky?

You tried to stifle the laugh that bubbled up within your chest, opting to just play it off as a loud cough. After clearing your throat, you turned back to look at your soulmate, noticing the red that crawled up his neck and onto his cheeks. Be serious, (Y/N). You straightened out your posture and willed yourself to get a little more stern.

"That doesn't explain why you had to restrain me like that. I thought I was under attack."

Zuko looked a little guilty at that, posture deflating just a little bit. It seems that Zuko was willing to let his guard down a lot from you. From what you've heard, he was supposed to be intimidating, powerful, all mighty.

Sometimes you forget that the boy was your age.

It was strange. Seeing someone with so many rumors floating around them be so human. You expected torture, abuse, discrimination. You didn’t expect to be scolding a mafia boss for scaring you in the middle of the night.

“You started freaking out before I could explain my intentions. How else am I supposed to react when someone suddenly tries swinging a fist at me?" He huffed. 

You felt a bit of heat rush to your cheeks at the memory of how suddenly you had reacted. Now that you were sitting down and in the right state of mind, it was kind of embarrassing. That didn't matter, however, you weren't the one at fault here. 

"Still, have you ever heard of privacy before?"

Zuko raised an unkempt brow at that, causing to furrow your brows in confusion in return. What? Had nobody ever enforced personal boundaries on him? It's not like you were asking him to do anything drastic. You blinked at him, waiting for a response.

Then again, you and Zuko were two different people raised two different ways. Zuko was raised to be great and glorious. You on the other hand were raised by the mafia. As far as you were concerned, everyone in that mafia was your mother, father, sister, brother, uncle, and aunt. You were raised to blend in and move quietly, quickly.

The more you thought about it, the more mafia bosses were so much more superior than those under their command. The more you thought about it the more it baffled you how you and hundreds of others simply followed one leader because of her power. The only reason anyone followed blind, 13 year old Toph Beifong was because of the impeccable strength that accompanied her rare power. 

You assumed it was merely the same with Zuko. He wouldn't have been anything special without those powers of his. He would've been a boy without powers, who would have most likely stayed working at his Uncle's tea shop.

But with the power of the fire elemental, Zuko turned from an edgy teenage boy, to a powerful mafia boss willing to hurt anyone. You paused, clenching and unclenching fist for a split second. If you had the power to control the earth could you climb up the power ranks? Would you even be able to handle it?

Zuko cleared his throat, bringing you out of your mini daydream. 

"You're my soulmate. When it involves you, I have the power to do as I please."

You froze, staring at the boy in just pure shock.

The...The audacity!

You felt your blood slowly begin to bubble beneath your skin, letting his words fuel your ever-so-growing temper. You could tell that your patience was beginning to grow thin with the members of the Fire Nation. Were you just an object to him? All this time you had thought you were something special to him because of your soulmate status, but really he just saw you as the perfect accessory?!

"You don't have the right to anything when it comes to me. You don't own me. I am my own person and you do not control me. Do you understand that, Zuko?" 

You spat out every word with venom, going as far as addressing the male with disrespect. It was incredibly satisfying to see the look of surprise that crossed over his face, obviously not expecting the hostile response. He immediately straightened out his posture, fixing that shocked look he had on with practiced neutrality.

"I don't think we're on the same page."

You almost laughed in his face, how much more blunt could you be? 

You leaned forward, hands extended in front of you as you drew in closer to the boy's personal space. You were a bit disappointed that he didn't look as uncomfortable as you'd like him to be, but that didn't matter. You had to get your point across to this sheltered child one way or another. 

"I am not yours. Just because we are soulmates doesn't mean I am devoted to you."

"You're supposed to, isn't that what soulmates are supposed to be? There's no boundary, just complete devotion to each other."

"That's not right! Soulmates are two people bound together by fate! Just because I'm your soulmate doesn't mean you suddenly get to own me! It's not a matter of I'm supposed to be devoted to you, I'm supposed to choose to give myself to you and vise versa."

There was so much passion in your words it left you a bit breathless. You almost chuckled. For someone who hated the idea of soulmates, you sure had your own special beliefs about it. It seems you left Zuko at a bit of a loss for words, for soon you were sitting in a tense silence, waiting for him to speak up. 

It looked like he was conflicted, tied between following what he was raised to believe vs trying to please you. He furrowed his brows, staring at the velvet covers for a good couple of seconds before snapping his golden gaze back up to yours. He stared at you for a moment before taking a breath and speaking up. 

"How can I convince you to devote yourself to me?"

You felt blood rush up to your cheeks the more Zuko stared at you so intensely. Either Zuko was astoundingly stupid in the field of emotions, or he truly didn't care about how much intimacy could be suggested with those words. Either way, you swallowed harshly, the room feeling hotter than usual. You willed yourself to steel yourself before speaking. 

"I'd never devote myself to you."

"That's too bad, I always find a way to get what I want."

Zuko added a shrug to his words, looking at you with those rare golden eyes once more. You didn't like this feeling. It felt like he was looking down at you, a butterfly trapped in his own hierarchy of a web. It made your stomach churn in an uncomfortable way, made your blood rush to your face and making a bead of sweat roll down the side of your face. 

"Sweet dreams."

The door clicked shut, and soon you sat there staring at the small dent where he just was, moonlight shining and glimmering on the spot. You would resort to blaming the hormones of a girl your age for making you so unbearably attracted to those golden eyes. Just remind yourself how much of a jackass he is, (Y/N). 

You let out a miserable groan, dragging you hands over your face in embarrassment. You must have been so red! How mortifying! You shifted your leg, plopping back down into the covers and looking over at the clock. It was late, and you were probably only going to get a few hours of sleep before Leona woke you up. You decided that now would be a good time to surrender yourself to sleep.

You told yourself that you didn't fall asleep wondering how this whole soulmate thing would've worked out if you and Zuko were born under the same mafia family.


End file.
